Why You Need a Proactive IT Strategy for Your Business

Most small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) forget they need IT support until something breaks.?

Many SMBs experience the benefit of a smoothly functioning IT system without giving it much thought. Yes, you might have a single sign-on procedure that garners eye rolls when users have to switch applications. But most of the time, everything just works.??

In the first edition of Power Forward, we’ll fill you in on the importance of having proactive IT support for your small business, as well as what proactive IT support means and how you can avoid budget surprises.??

Picture this:??

You’re surrounded by trees while visiting a national park, when a fire suddenly occurs.?

Reactive IT support is like opening a fire extinguisher on that fire–it occurs in the heat of the emergency. ? ?

Proactive IT support, on the other hand, is a bit like a park ranger who comes to you with a plan for putting out the fire. That plan involves protecting the people around the fire and doing as much as possible to mitigate any damage resulting from the fire. ? ?

Reactive IT support is necessary when there has been a breach and you have to respond to a crisis. But when you can create a proactive strategy that helps lessen the frequency of crises, your business is less vulnerable to those risks in the first place.??

Proactive IT support happens through intentionally designed infrastructure, employee training, and continual testing and improvement.?

By taking a proactive approach to IT, a managed service provider (MSP) can detect problems early on, reduce downtime when systems or devices fail, keep tabs on your systems and infrastructure 24/7, and make recommendations that can improve how your systems perform.? ?

If you and your entire staff can stay one step ahead of bad actors, your business will not need to worry about someone accidentally responding to a hacker’s call and unleashing a technological catastrophe upon your company.??

Cyber Attacks are Costly for SMBs?

Here are some statistics you should be familiar with:?

?? 43% of cyber attacks annually are on small businesses?

?? 46% of cyber attacks are on small businesses with 1,000 or fewer employees?

?? In 2020, small businesses faced 700,000 attacks, causing $2.8 billion in damages?

Which SMB do you think was more surprised in the 2021 Verizon report: The company that spent $826 on IT security issues or the company that spent $653,587? Clearly, cybersecurity problems can present unwelcome budget surprises.?

Here are some benefits of using an MSP that utilizes a proactive IT strategy:?

?? More likely to avoid significant downtime and repairs.?

?? Manage risks before or soon after issues arise.?

?? Plan for future needs with new upgrades and technology.?

?? Better understanding of how much you’re paying each month for a variety of IT services.?

?? With IT assessments as part of a proactive strategy, you can make smarter business decisions.?

IT is not separate from the rest of your company.?

IT impacts everyone in your business, in the same way that accounting affects everyone in the business.?

It all comes down to your company’s IT infrastructure.?

A proficient MSP is keenly aware of how security decisions make an impact on every department because they understand the importance of protecting your IT infrastructure.??

When you apply a proactive strategy to IT support, your MSP can stay two steps ahead of any cyber-security risks. This allows them to detect and resolve any security issues at the forefront- before the problems become costly.?

Strategic IT support starts with your employees.?

According to a 2023 survey, approximately 49% of employees in the US, UK, Germany, and Australia lost between 1 and 5 hours of work each week because of IT issues. Plus, an additional 23% lost six hours or more each week. ? ?

While not all these issues were a result of cyber-attacks, some were. ? ?

That means some were preventable.??

Here are a few things you can do to prevent cyber-attacks:?

? Prioritize IT security training at least once a year

? Apply IT security training in every department

? Update passwords at least quarterly.?

A proactive IT strategy requires you to have all the necessary information to ensure your IT components meet your business goals. Our IT assessments provide you with the necessary information to make better, data-driven business decisions.?

We offer a variety of IT assessments, each of which is unbiased, easy-to-understand and to the point.?

So, what assessment is right for you??

Schedule an intro meeting to talk about what assessment is a good fit for your business.?

InfoSystems is an IBM Platinum Business Partner founded in 1994. For 30 years we have provided reliable IT solutions that power business forward for both SMB and enterprise organizations.

When you choose InfoSystems, you’ll have the benefit of our streamlined onboarding. You won’t have to worry about all of the “we didn’t think about that” moments that come with inexperienced technology partners or freelance consultants.?

Here’s how to get started:?

1. Schedule an intro meeting?
2. Create a plan?
3. Hire us and get exceptional results?

Start creating a proactive IT strategy for your business today.

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